The Federal Education Landscape Is Being Rebuilt in Real Time — Here Is What It Means for You
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a sweeping set of six new interagency agreements (IAAs) that fundamentally alter how major federal education programs will be administered. These agreements — spanning the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State — demonstrate a significant structural shift in federal education governance.
Taken together with the workforce-development partnership launched in July, these moves reflect the Trump administration’s goal of breaking up the federal education bureaucracy, returning authority to states, and aligning education programs more directly with workforce and other policy priorities.
Below is a clear summary of what changed, why it matters, and how organizations should prepare:
1. ED + Labor: Two Major New Partnerships
A. Elementary & Secondary Education Partnership
ED and the Department of Labor (DOL) will now jointly manage federal K–12 programs, with DOL assuming an administrative role.
This means:
- DOL will run grant competitions, technical assistance, and integration activities for K–12 programs.
- Programs will be aligned more directly with workforce and postsecondary pathways.
- States will increasingly work with DOL — not ED — as their operational point of contact for K–12 federal programs.
B. Postsecondary Education Partnership
This agreement expands DOL’s responsibility over most grant programs authorized under the Higher Education Act.
Under ED oversight, DOL will:
- Administer postsecondary education grants
- Provide expanded workforce-aligned technical assistance
- Integrate ED’s higher-education programs into DOL’s existing employment and training ecosystem
2. ED + Interior: Indian Education Partnership
The Department of the Interior (DOI) will now assume a lead role in administering:
- K–12 Indian Education programs
- Higher education programs for Native students
- Tribal career and technical education
- Vocational rehabilitation
DOI becomes the central point of contact for Tribes and Native communities, with ED providing oversight.
3. ED + HHS: Two New Partnerships
A. Foreign Medical Accreditation
HHS staff will oversee accreditation-equivalency reviews for foreign medical schools, assuming responsibility for the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation.
B. CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents in School)
HHS will now administer the CCAMPIS program, which supports on-campus childcare for student-parents.
4. ED + State Department: International Education & Foreign Language Studies
The State Department will take the lead on administering Fulbright-Hays and related international education programs.
How This Fits Into the Larger Restructuring
The July 2025 ED – DOL partnership laid the foundation for these new agreements. That initiative:
- Integrated WIOA Title II Adult Education and Perkins V Career and Technical Education programs into DOL’s broader workforce portfolio
- Reduced administrative duplication across agencies
- Allowed for unified state plans, timelines, and technical assistance
- Pursued statutory authority under 31 U.S.C. § 1535 and ED/DOL enabling statutes
Reflected Executive Orders prioritizing the return of educational authority to states
What Organizations Need to Do Now
Major federal responsibilities are moving across agencies. Organizations should identify if any of their programs are impacted, prepare for any shifts, and begin establishing relationships with the new administering agencies. The Foley Public Affairs team is here to help build new agency relationships, identify early competitive opportunities, and help you create your new federal affairs strategy.
